Gilbert: Wife of former SEC commish dies

Sara Jo Kramer, wife of retired SEC commissioner Roy Kramer, died Thursday at age 84. She and Roy had been married 62 years.

During Roy's years as SEC commissioner, Sara was always at his side at SEC functions. An avid sports fan, she was one of the most beloved persons in the SEC family. She seemed to know everybody.

The Kramers, both graduates of Maryville College, spent their years together in college sports. Roy coached state championship football teams in Michigan, won a national championship at Central Michigan University, and served as Vanderbilt's athletic director. They retired to a home in Rarity Bay near Vonore, Tenn., in 2002.

During his 12-year tenure as SEC commissioner, Roy was regarded as the most powerful person in college athletics. He led the SEC through its first expansion and was the architect of the Bowl Championship Series to determine a football national champion.

Sara Jo accompanied Roy on trips to SEC football games, sometimes three in one day.

Sara Jo's funeral will be at 3 p.m. Sunday at First United Methodist Church in Maryville.

Puzzling justice

Alabama's punishment of football operations director Joe Pannunzio for something he did in a previous job (at Miami) is somewhat puzzling.

Pannunzio was one of the former Miami assistant coaches accused of having ties with Nevin Shapiro, the one-time Miami booster now serving a 20-year prison term for masterminding a $930 million Ponzi scheme.

The situation came to light Thursday when Alabama reported 31 NCAA secondary rules violations. Although Pannunzio was not named in the report, he did not receive a salary raise or contract extension this year.

Preemptive action, just in case? Very, very strange.

Bill Battle is the new Alabama athletic director, and he was almost fanatical about running a clean program when he was head football coach at Tennessee (1970-76).

Crash survivor

Golf legend Jack Nicklaus' grandson, Nick O'Leary, miraculously escaped serious injury in a motorcycle-car collision last May and is ready to take his place in Florida State's starting lineup at tight end this fall.

A car pulled in front of O'Leary and his motorcycle virtually disintegrated on impact. O'Leary was thrown from the cycle and narrowly missed being hit by a bus.

The 247-pound junior has 33 career pass receptions for 416 yards and four touchdowns. He's an outstanding blocker and lines up at wide receiver, tight end and H-back.

Dyer mystery

Michael Dyer, whose running helped Auburn win the 2010 national championship, appears to have earned another chance at straightening out his life and getting a college degree.

He was dismissed from Auburn in 2011 after failing a drug test. His checkered past also includes possession of marijuana and a gun - all of which turned him into a football nomad, moving from school to school.

Dyer enrolled at Arkansas State in 2012, but left there amid reports of marijuana use and gun possession. Then, he landed at Arkansas Baptist College, and good things began to happen.

The predominantly black school's president, Fitz Hill, took a personal interest in Dyer and led him through rehabilitation. This week Dyer disclosed he will enroll at a "big D-1 school" where he'll play football again this season.

Dyer hasn't revealed the school, but Hill said it's a place "where he can replicate and duplicate" his 2010 Auburn exploits.

We'll soon know where.

Columnist Bob Gilbert - former Associated Press writer, retired University of Tennessee news director and author of the Bob Neyland biography - can be reached at rwgilbert@charter.net.

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Gilbert: Wife of former SEC commish dies

Sara Jo Kramer, wife of retired SEC commissioner Roy Kramer, died Thursday at age 84. She and Roy had been married 62 years.